Chapter 45: A Subtle Shift and a Growing Unease

Taking advantage of the moment when Qin Xuan was quietly reading at his desk and Lu Yang was showing their new roommate, Xia, around campus, Su Mian quickly packed her suitcase.

She then slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

She let out a long breath, eager to change back into his most comfortable men’s pajamas.

However, as she shed the slightly oversized T-shirt, her movements abruptly froze.

The body reflected in the mirror filled him with a sense of unfamiliarity and alarm.

His chest seemed to ache more, and… its contours appeared subtly altered, no longer the pure flatness of a young man, but now with a faint, undulating curve.

She reached out, disbelieving, to touch it. The soft sensation made him recoil as if burned.

The change was too swift, striking him with panic.

Su Mian ran a hand through his hair in frustration, attempting to convince himself with the absurd excuse that he had ‘just gained weight.’ Yet, a voice deep within him clearly stated this was far from normal.

Could his mother’s talk of ‘family inheritance’ truly manifest in such an illogical way?

Distraught, Su Mian turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade over his body, feeling utterly dazed.

Though he had only learned his body’s secret two days prior, the transformation was arriving far too rapidly.

At this rate, his body’s secret would be exposed in less than a month.

The thought of familiar faces gazing at her with strange looks made Su Mian deeply uncomfortable.

Fortunately, as the weather grew cooler, Su Mian swapped her short-sleeved pajamas for a long-sleeved autumn set.

As she emerged from the bathroom, toweling her damp hair, Qin Xuan, who had been quietly reading, happened to look up.

His gaze lingered on Su Mian for a fleeting moment, especially on the softer waistline and unnatural chest contours unintentionally emphasized as Su Mian lifted her arms to dry her hair.

Qin Xuan’s eyes shifted almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing. He merely pushed up his glasses and returned his attention to his book, as if his momentary glance had been entirely unintentional.

However, this subtle observation was now clearly etched in his mind.

***

By evening, Lu Yang and Xia had returned.

To welcome their new roommate, Lu Yang enthusiastically suggested that Dorm 304 have dinner together that evening at a well-regarded small restaurant behind the school.

“Alright, I have no objections,” Su Mian said, nodding in agreement as she blew out her hair.

Qin Xuan closed his book and replied blandly, “That works.”

Xia, for his part, offered a grateful smile. “I’ve caused you all to spend money. Let me treat you to this meal as a token of my thanks to everyone.”

As he spoke, Xia’s gaze occasionally drifted to Su Mian’s face as she dried her hair, a flash of wonder in his eyes.

‘This little cake’s disguise is really quite good. Such a beautiful face, usually so well hidden.’

“No way!” Lu Yang slung an arm around Xia’s shoulder. “You’re the newcomer, so we *have* to treat you this time, as a welcome! Next time, it’s your turn!”

Xia’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Lu Yang’s sweaty scent made him deeply uncomfortable.

‘See? This is why I despise men.’

Outwardly, the dinner’s atmosphere was harmonious.

Xia proved to be very friendly and conversational. He deftly caught every topic Lu Yang threw his way, his words witty and his demeanor humble, and quickly won over Lu Yang.

Su Mian, however, gradually began to feel a hint of unease.

He noticed Xia seemed to constantly draw closer to him, whether intentionally or not.

Whether it was choosing the seat beside him when they sat down, or his gaze frequently landing on him during conversation, or even when everyone raised their glasses, Xia’s cup always tilted first in his direction.

Just moments ago, when Xia passed him a condiment bottle, his cool fingers had ‘accidentally’ brushed the back of his hand. That unusually cold touch had sent a shiver down his spine.

Xia’s demeanor was impeccable, always accompanied by a gentle smile. Yet, Su Mian felt an inexplicable prickle of unease.

He attributed this strange feeling to cultural differences. ‘Perhaps foreigners express friendliness in a more enthusiastic and direct way?’

He told himself this, as it wasn’t a major issue after all. Perhaps it was because of his body’s current state, making him overly sensitive to such details.

He tried to ignore the subtle discomfort in his heart.

During a lull, as Lu Yang challenged Xia to a drinking contest and Qin Xuan quietly ate his meal, Su Mian habitually opened his chat interface with ‘Yuan.’ To his surprise, Xiao Moyuan had actually initiated a message, sent about half an hour ago.

[Yuan: What are you doing?]

These three simple words made Su Mian’s heart skip a beat.

‘Xiao Moyuan had actually sought him out again?’

It seemed that ever since their offline meeting, Xiao Moyuan’s attitude had undergone a subtle shift.

Before, he was almost always the one initiating topics, only for Xiao Moyuan to reply perfunctorily or even ignore him. Now, however, he was actually starting casual conversations.

A smile bloomed on Su Mian’s face. He quickly replied, a hint of imperceptible excitement dancing on his fingertips.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Having dinner with my roommates, welcoming the new one~ Have you eaten yet, Gege?]

After sending the message, he waited with a touch of nervousness. To his surprise, Xiao Moyuan’s reply was remarkably swift this time.

[Yuan: Mm. New roommate?]

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Yes, a new transfer, a mixed-race roommate. They’re quite friendly~ (Obedient_Kitten.jpg)]

This time, Xiao Moyuan’s reply was a few seconds slower.

[Yuan: Mixed-race?]

[Yuan: Keep your distance.]

‘Even if they were both girls, did he still need to keep his distance?’

Staring at these four words, spoken with a clear commanding tone, Su Mian didn’t feel offended in the slightest. Instead, his cheeks flushed faintly.

This possessive admonition gave him the fleeting illusion of being truly cared for by a “boyfriend.”

He shook his head, quickly dispelling the dangerous thought.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Got it~ We’re both girls, what could possibly happen…? My heart only has room for Gege! Roommates are just roommates!]

He skillfully played coy, trying to steer the conversation away.

[Yuan: Mm, have you tried on the necklace?]

‘Uh, the necklace was still in its gift box, no time to try it on.’

Primarily, it was a women’s necklace, so he couldn’t wear it on a normal day.

However, it was a gift, after all. To say he hadn’t tried it on would seem impolite.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Of course! The necklace Gege chose is truly beautiful. (Playful_Wink.jpg)]

[Yuan: Mm, send me a picture.]

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: The lighting isn’t great outside tonight, I’ll take a picture for Gege when I get back.]

[Yuan: Okay!]

‘It seems I’ll have to temporarily wear that necklace when I get back.’

Su Mian was in excellent spirits, feeling that his progress in ‘conquering’ Xiao Moyuan had made a huge leap.

Even the overly enthusiastic Xia beside him seemed less awkward now.

‘It seems meeting up was quite good. This ice mountain, Xiao Moyuan, truly seems to be melting.’

His plan was steadily advancing toward success.

Su Mian felt much bolder. Since his female disguise hadn’t been seen through, he could consider meeting Xiao Moyuan offline more often in the future to accelerate his progress.

The dinner concluded in a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.

On the way back to the dorm, Xia naturally walked beside Su Mian, chatting with him about interesting anecdotes from N University.

They were close, separated by only a hand’s breadth.

He subtly glanced at the gently smiling Xia beside him, whose overly pale face appeared somewhat blurred under the streetlights.

It was then that he recalled the words, ‘Keep your distance.’

‘Perhaps… listening to Xiao Moyuan and maintaining a bit of distance wasn’t a bad idea after all. He inherently disliked physical contact with people, especially those he wasn’t very familiar with.’

Even with Lu Yang, she could only tolerate normal contact through clothes.

‘Yet, when Xiao Moyuan had taken her hand after school that afternoon, she hadn’t seemed to mind as much?’

Instinctively, he subtly slowed his pace, creating a half-body length of distance between himself and Xia.

Xia frowned. This ‘little cake’ seemed to be deliberately keeping his distance.

‘It seems I was too impatient. Cake tastes sweeter when eaten slowly. Taking my time to savor it isn’t bad either.’

Walking slightly behind, Qin Xuan clearly observed Su Mian’s subtle movement and the fleeting, dark expression in Xia’s eyes.